{"id":128,"date":"2016-01-14T03:08:30","date_gmt":"2016-01-14T03:08:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/zacks\/?page_id=128"},"modified":"2016-01-19T19:44:29","modified_gmt":"2016-01-19T19:44:29","slug":"satire-syllabus","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/zacks\/rhetoric-of-satire-sp16\/satire-syllabus\/","title":{"rendered":"Satire Syllabus"},"content":{"rendered":"
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RHE 309K: Rhetoric of Satire SP16<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Unique: 43280<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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T\/Th 2:00-3:30pm, PAR 6<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Instructor: Dr. Aaron Zacks<\/p>\n

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Email: aaron.zacks@utexas.edu<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Office\/Hours: PAR 19\/T 3:30-5, W 11-12:30<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Resources:<\/strong><\/div>\n
Course website: https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/zacks\/rhetoric-of-satire-sp16\/<\/a><\/div>\n
Canvas:\u00a0https:\/\/utexas.instructure.com\/courses\/1164924<\/a><\/div>\n
UT Box:\u00a0https:\/\/utexas.app.box.com\/login<\/a><\/div>\n
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Required Texts:<\/strong><\/div>\n
Everything\u2019s An Argument. 6th or 7th Ed. Lunsford and Ruszkiewicz. Bedford\/St. Martin\u2019s, 2012\/16.<\/div>\n
Easy Writer (EW). 5th Ed. Lunsford. Longman, 2014.<\/div>\n
All\u00a0other\u00a0course\u00a0content\u00a0will\u00a0be\u00a0made\u00a0available\u00a0via\u00a0Canvas\u00a0and UT\u00a0Libraries.<\/div>\n
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Note on “Reading”:<\/strong><\/div>\n
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Our list of explicitly assigned readings is particularly\u00a0short this semester. That’s because I’m asking you to perform a good deal of course “reading” on your own. (I’ve put “reading” in quotation marks because I’m using it euphemistically; much of what I’m talking about is material that you’ll watch, either on TV or over the Internet.\u00a0The semester builds toward a unit on satire about the US Presidential Primary races. In order to address this complex and multi-faceted cauldron of controversies in a responsible way, each one of us will need a handle on the basics: the candidates, their platforms, relevant history, and popular opinion. It is your responsibility to prepare yourself for this unit, beginning Wk. 11, by keeping up-to-date with our society’s most prominent, satiric institution focused on contemporary events: The Daily Show with Trevor Noah<\/em>. Throughout the first ten weeks of the semester, students are responsible for keeping up with the Primary-related, satiric content appearing on The Daily Show<\/em>.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0RHE 309K\u00a0Course Description:<\/strong><\/div>\n

As with all classes taught in the Department of Rhetoric and Writing, the primary aim of Rhetoric of Satire is to improve our ability to interpret and participate in the world around us. We achieve this by learning about and practicing the arts of communication and argument-\u00admaking. The skills learned in this class are applicable to all of your academic and professional endeavors. This class will teach you to:<\/p>\n

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\u25cf read critically;<\/div>\n
\u25cf identify, evaluate, construct, and organize effective arguments;<\/div>\n
\u25cf revise your own writing<\/div>\n
\u25cf advocate a specific position responsibly;<\/div>\n
\u25cf conduct library and web-\u00adbased research and document sources;<\/div>\n
\u25cf produce a clean, efficient writing style and adapt it to various rhetorical situations; and<\/div>\n
\u25cf edit and proofread formal prose.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

RHE 309K carries the Writing Flag and this class will require you to write texts of all kinds from
\nformal papers to Forum comments and Tweets. This class puts an emphasis on the art of revision and, over the course of the semester, you will receive constructive feedback on your writing from your instructor and classmates.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

This section of RHE 309K is taught within the Digital Writing and Research Lab (DWRL) of the
\nDepartment of Rhetoric and Writing (DRW). Therefore, this class seeks to foster digital literacy and
\nwill require you to leverage technology in service to making arguments.<\/p>\n

This course requires active participation both in and out of class. Students are expected to come to class
\nready to engage with assigned materials and classmates. Students will present to the class on multiple
\noccasions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u00a0Rhetoric of Satire Course Description:<\/strong><\/div>\n
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Satire\u00a0—\u00a0in\u00a0its\u00a0many\u00a0forms\u00a0— is\u00a0ubiquitous\u00a0in\u00a0contemporary,\u00a0western\u00a0culture.\u00a0Its\u00a0popularity\u00a0derives\u00a0in\u00a0part\u00a0from\u00a0satire\u2019s\u00a0use\u00a0of\u00a0humor,\u00a0which\u00a0typically\u00a0sets\u00a0out\u00a0to\u00a0entertain.\u00a0But\u00a0satirists\u00a0employ\u00a0humor\u00a0as\u00a0a\u00a0weapon,\u00a0to\u00a0speak\u00a0truth\u00a0to\u00a0power,\u00a0to\u00a0make\u00a0earnest\u00a0arguments,\u00a0often\u00a0through\u00a0irony.\u00a0Not\u00a0all\u00a0humor\u00a0is\u00a0satiric;\u00a0nor\u00a0is\u00a0all\u00a0satire\u00a0funny.<\/div>\n
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One\u00a0etymology\u00a0connects\u00a0the\u00a0word\u00a0\u201csatire\u201d\u00a0to\u00a0the\u00a0Latin\u00a0word\u00a0for\u00a0\u201cmedley\u201d\u00a0and\u00a0this\u00a0class\u00a0will\u00a0honor\u00a0that\u00a0history\u00a0by\u00a0studying\u00a0a\u00a0wide\u00a0variety\u00a0of\u00a0satirical\u00a0arguments\u00a0about\u00a0various\u00a0subjects\u00a0(music,\u00a0sports,\u00a0politics,\u00a0etc.)\u00a0in\u00a0a\u00a0many\u00a0genres\u00a0(television,\u00a0internet,\u00a0poetry,\u00a0video\u00a0games,\u00a0radio,\u00a0etc.).\u00a0We\u00a0will\u00a0examine\u00a0some\u00a0classical\u00a0examples\u00a0of\u00a0satire\u00a0but,\u00a0because\u00a0satire\u00a0is,\u00a0above\u00a0all,\u00a0topical,\u00a0most\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0course\u00a0content\u00a0will\u00a0be\u00a0relatively\u00a0recent\u00a0and\u00a0engage\u00a0contemporary\u00a0issues.<\/div>\n
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The\u00a0broad\u00a0goal\u00a0of\u00a0this\u00a0class\u00a0(besides\u00a0improving\u00a0your\u00a0research\u00a0and\u00a0writing\u00a0skills)\u00a0is\u00a0to\u00a0refine\u00a0your\u00a0 sensitivity\u00a0to\u00a0satirical\u00a0rhetoric\u00a0and\u00a0enable\u00a0you\u00a0to\u00a0reflect\u00a0critically\u00a0on\u00a0the\u00a0role\u00a0of\u00a0satire\u00a0and\u00a0humor\u00a0in\u00a0modern\u00a0life.\u00a0To\u00a0succeed\u00a0in\u00a0this\u00a0course,\u00a0you\u2019ll\u00a0need\u00a0to\u00a0become\u00a0comfortable\u00a0adopting\u00a0a\u00a0satiric\u00a0worldview.\u00a0This\u00a0can\u00a0only\u00a0be\u00a0accomplished\u00a0through\u00a0immersion\u00a0\u00ad\u00ad\u00a0paying\u00a0attention\u00a0to\u00a0contemporary\u00a0texts\u00a0like\u00a0Last\u00a0Week\u00a0Tonight\u00a0with\u00a0John\u00a0Oliver,\u00a0The\u00a0Daily\u00a0Show,\u00a0and\u00a0The\u00a0Onion.\u00a0Depending\u00a0on\u00a0your\u00a0experience\u00a0and\u00a0rhetorical\u00a0skills,\u00a0adopting\u00a0a\u00a0satiric\u00a0worldview\u00a0may\u00a0entail\u00a0some\u00a0degree\u00a0of\u00a0un\u00adassigned \u201creading\u201d\u00a0(e.g.\u00a0TV\u00a0watching,\u00a0web\u00a0surfing,\u00a0etc.).<\/div>\n
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Over\u00a0the\u00a0course\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0semester,\u00a0we\u00a0will\u00a0consider\u00a0questions\u00a0such\u00a0as:<\/div>\n<\/div>\n